About this archived opportunity

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund natural gas infrastructure safety and integrity projects that meet the following initiative: Technologies to Inspect and Prevent Corrosion of Natural Gas Pipelines and Storage Facilities. This solicitation will address needed improvements in the instruments for detecting corrosion, modeling software for predicting corrosion, and training related to utility integrity management programs with a focus on mitigating risks and damages caused by corrosion. This development requires improved instruments to measure physical parameters (e.g., soil resistivity, voltages across metal surfaces, or wall thickness) and deeper understanding of the mechanisms of different types of corrosion. Complementary to the instruments is modeling software which can use the data obtained by the instruments to project corrosion growth rates and probability of potential leakages and recommend mitigation strategies. Modeling software needs to improve its accuracy and support decision making for maintenance and operation by incorporating variables and data points commensurate with a deepening understanding of corrosion mechanisms. Projects must fall within the following project groups: · Group 1: Technologies for Natural Gas Pipeline Corrosion Risk Management: This group will improve and integrate existing and emerging technology (TRL 6 or higher) to determine the size of corrosion pitting and cracks on both the internal and external surfaces of the pipelines and develop a toolkit to evaluate and mitigate the risks of corrosion damage to natural gas pipelines. · Group 2: Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion Control: MIC is caused by the presence of microorganisms that contribute to rapid degradation of metals and alloys. This group will conduct research to increase the understanding of MIC, and develop a testing kit for MIC detection and a treatment to inhibit or prevent MIC. The test kit and corrosion inhibitor will be examined in field exposure conditions and data related to performance and durability will be collected to provide inputs to natural gas risk assessment models.